HILTON The Emperor Probus Viognier

In 281AD, the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Equitius PROBUS carried ‘Viognier’ vines up the river Rhone to an area known today as Condrieu (roughly translated from ‘coin du ruisseau’ or corner of the stream). These vines came from his homeland territory of Dalmatia (current day Croatia), where this varietal is known as ‘Vugava Bijela’, a name lost en route, to become Viognier, possibly due to passing through the Roman Gaul town of Vienne.

“The discovery of a good wine is increasingly better for mankind than the discovery of a new star.” – Leonardo Da Vinci